Egypt to open Rafah crossing for three days next week

CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities will open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip for three days next week, a Palestinian diplomat said Saturday.

Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Barakat al-Farra said in a statement that an agreement was reached to open Rafah on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of next week.

The decision, he said, was a result of coordination between Palestinian and Egyptian officials.

The Rafah crossing has been the principal connection between Gaza's 1.7 million residents and the outside world since the imposition of an economic blockade by Israel beginning in 2007.

Rafah has frequently been shut down or operating at reduced capacity in recent months due to ongoing unrest in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and political turmoil resulting from former president Mohamed Morsi's ouster by the Egyptian military in July.